Divorce & Custody Proceedings Involving Military Service Members

The rules regarding divorce or custody proceedings involving military personnel are different than those affecting civilians.  The Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act is just one way that military personnel can benefit from these different rules.  The most important aspect of the Act is the availability to stay any civil proceeding, whether it be child custody or visitation, divorce, or child support proceeding confronting the service member or their dependents. 

The Act, signed into law on Dec. 19, 2003 by President Bush expanded service member's protections and rights to include not only temporary suspension of judicial proceedings but also temporary suspension of administrative proceedings and transactions as well.  The Act provides these protections to members on active duty in all branches of the armed services as well as members of the National Guard called to active duty for over 30 days. 

If a service member receives a default divorce judgment for example, the court shall reopen the Judgment to allow the service member to defend if: 1. the military member was affected due to military service in asserting his defense and 2. the application to reopen is filed within 90 days after the end of military service. 

**The military have special rights and obligations pertaining to divorce and family law matters.  I strongly advise all military personnel to speak with an experienced attorney or lawyer who understands the substantial differences in military divorce and family law. 

Alabama Divorce Lawyer and Attorney

The Alabama divorce and family law attorneys and lawyers of Eversole Law offer legal services in Alabama divorce, alimony, child custody, child visitation, prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements, grandparents rights, adoption, and other Alabama family law matters. I founded my Alabama divorce and family law practice to ensure every Alabama family has access to affordable and qualified Alabama divorce and family lawyers and attorneys.  I will personally walk your family through the difficult process of an Alabama divorce proceeding and make sure your interests are protected in child custody, alimony or visitation proceedings and orders.  As an Alabama divorce lawyer I represent clients in Birmingham and throughout the state of Alabama, and I guarantee top notch service and quality legal professionalism.  When you chose an Alabama divorce lawyer or attorney from Eversole Law you are choosing personalized 24/7 service in a family like environment.  We take care of our clients in every way. 

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Divorce & Family Law Courts

My Alabama divorce and family law office is centrally located in Birmingham, Alabama so that we can offer our Alabama divorce, child custody and visitation, alimony, child support, adoption, prenuptial agreements, and other family law matters practice throughout the entire state of Alabama.  I represent clients in every court in Alabama including, but not limited to the following courts and jurisdictions:

In the Birmingham, Alabama Metro area I routinely try divorce and family law cases in the following cities and counties:

Jefferson County, Adamsville, Argo, Birmingham, Bessemer, Branchville, Fairfield, Fultondale, Gardendale, Homewood, Hoover, Hueytown, Irondale, Kimberly, Leeds, Morris, Mountain Brook, Odenville, Springville, Trussville, Vestavia, Warrior 

In the Shelby County, Alabama the lawyers and attorneys of Eversole law work in the following cities and courts:

Shelby County , Alabaster,  Columbiana, Harpersville, Hoover, Vincent, Pelham, Calera

Other areas of Alabama the lawyers of Eversole Law represent clients include:

Tuscaloosa, Northport, Chilton County, Jemison, Thorsby, Altoona, Talladega County, Jefferson County, Walker County, Madison County, Cullman, Hunstville, Decatur, Florence, Guntersville, Scottsboro, Montgomery, Pelham, Gadsden, Anniston, and all other counties and municipalities in Alabama.   

***This list is not exhaustive, my office will represent divorce and family law clients across the entire state of Alabama

Alabama Divorce Law - Temporary Alimony

Under Alabama divorce law it is possible to obtain temporary alimony from your spouse while the divorce is proceeding.  An Alabama divorce lawyer will file a motion for Pendente Lite with the court in order to obtain this temporary support.  Pendente lite is Latin for "while the action is pending."  Temporary alimony or support in Alabama is often required when a spouse cannot sustain the same standard of living during the divorce she/he would have maintained prior to the divorce proceedings.  Often, temporary support is given to spouses going through an Alabama divorce proceeding when the spouse has no other assets, i.e. a stay at home mom and wife without any other income.  However, even with additional income, if you are unable to maintain the same standard of living to which you are accustomed, you may be eligible for temporary alimony during the Alabama divorce. 

Temporary alimony is just that, temporary.  It will end when the divorce ends and will be replaced by a final spousal support award.  If you are experiencing difficulties in maintaining your standard of living during a divorce, you owe it to yourself to contact an experienced Alabama Divorce lawyer and attorney as soon as possible.  The Alabama divorce and family law attorneys and lawyers of Eversole Law will make sure you get the Alabama temporary support and alimony you deserve. 

Alabama Divorce & Family Law Attorney Website

Please check out my firm's website.  My Alabama Divorce Law firm focuses our practice on divorce, child custody, child visitation, alimony and support, property division, asset protection, family law and more.  We cross the state of Alabama and regularly handle divorce and family law cases in Birmingham, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Pelham, Leeds, Moody, Pell City, Trussville, Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile, Tuscaloosa, Fultondale, Irondale, Homewood; and in counties like Jefferson County, St. Clair County, Madison County, Tuscaloosa County, Shelby County, Mobile County, Walker County, Jackson County, Marshall County, Limestone County, Chilton County, Bibb County, Talladega County, Montgomery County, Etowah County, Mobile County, Cullman County, Baldwin County, Winston County, Dekalb County and Cherokee County, etc. 

Birmingham, Alabama Divorce & Alimony Laws

In Alabama, when a divorce has been granted in favor of one party based upon the misconduct of the other party, the judge may grant awards from the estate of the spouse committing the misconduct to the other spouse.  The misconduct itself may also be used by the judge in determining the amount of the award.  However, this provision is subject to the marital property rule and/or the inheritance rule.  In general, property held by a party prior to the marriage, or property received by inheritance or gift,  is not marital property and cannot be distributed to the other party during a divorce.  Alabama Code Section 30-2-52 defines how a judge may award property after granting a divorce based upon misconduct.   

Temporary Spousal Support During Alabama Divorce Proceedings

I received a call from a client today in Birmingham, Alabama.  I realized people contemplating divorce across Jefferson County, including Vestavia, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Leeds, Bessemer, Hoover, Pelham, Trussville, Gardendale, Fultondale, Fairfield, Moody, Pleasant Grove, Adamsville and Hueytown, as well as all across Alabama in places like Huntsville, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa and Mobile, are all concerned about Alabama divorce laws. 

One of the most frequent questions I encounter about Alabama divorce laws, in Birmingham and all across the State of Alabama, and especially from women,  is "How do I support myself during the divorce?"  The answer is simple.  I will file a motion for Pendente Lite.  That motion will provide temporary support from your husband while you are going through a divorce.  This kind of support is very similar to alimony.  It allows you to continue living as you currently are while the Alabama divorce proceedings are under way.  Once the divorce is finalized you will then be eligible for alimony.  Alimony is intended to keep you relatively in the same economic position you are in during the marriage.  In that way, alimony and temporary support are very similar.  Both provide you with a means to continue your way of life for a period of time.  Motions for Pendente Lite only covers support during the divorce proceedings itself.  So, your husband or wife can't just kick you out of the house, cut off your credit cards, take the car, etc.

The Alabama Code Section 30-2-50 allows for this kind of temporary support pending the divorce action.  It provides for the allowance for support during the pendency of action.

Alabama Alimony Payments: The Basics

The purpose of Alimony in Alabama is to preserve, as much as is possible, the economic living condition of the parties as they existed during the marriage. There is a duty to maintain the status of their ex-spouse until such time as the spouse is self-supporting or maintaining a similar status to the one enjoyed before the separation.

The two most important factors to be considered in determining alimony payments are:

  1. The need of the spouse receiving alimony.
  2. The ability to pay by the spouse paying alimony.

However, there is a laundry list of factors that courts do take into consideration:

  • Standard of living during the marriage
  • Age and gender of each party
  • Length of the Marriage
  • Bad conduct by a party that caused the divorce(adultery)
  • Health of each party
  • Potential for maintaining their standard of living without spouse

Alimony can result from long and short term marriages as well.